Sombra's Return
by ChristalCat
Summary: They've just defeated King Sombra. For Twilight and her friends, everything is at peace once again. At least, that's what they thought, but an urgent call from Zecora tells Twilight that something even more sinister is about to take place. Can Twilight stop the darkness before Equestria meets its twisted fate?
1. Chapter 1

"Spike, take a note to my journal, please." The light purple mare said as she turned toward her most trusted dragon companion. It was just past the crack of dawn and she was pacing her room back and forth anxiously. _How could I have let myself sleep in like that? Oh there's just_ so _much work to do! So much to think about!_ She thought as her hooves clapped along the wood floor of her library.

The green dragon finally emerged from his bed. As he rubbed his eyes sleepily he said, "Alright Twilight," he reached for a quill and some parchment, "Go on." He seemed a little less than happy that his beauty sleep was once again disturbed by Twilight's concerns.

Twilight looked the dragon in the eyes for a second, making sure that he truly was ready to take down all of her complex thoughts. Then, she began. "It has been a week since we saved the Crystal Empire from the impending doom that King Sombra posed. I wonder how Cadence is doing as the new Crystal Princess… I have no doubts that she will make a great princess, she was the best babysitter a foal could ask for, after all! There is something that concerns me…" Twilight paused and looked over at Spike. Spike was rushing to get down all of the notes. When he reached the last line, he looked up in curiosity.

She continued. "It has also been a week since I used that dark magic… Princess Celestia taught it to me, but…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to finish that sentence. She moved on, "I just felt so… powerful… while using it. Yet at the same time there was that fear… that dark power… What was it? If only there was some other way… I hope I made the right choice." Twilight raised her brow to her companion to see if he needed her to repeat anything. After a series of hasty scribbling Spike looked up at her and shook his head "no", and Twilight dismissed him.

Spike went back to sleep and Twilight continued to pace around the library. She knew that something was wrong but she just couldn't quite place it. Every day she seemed more and more anxious, like she could feel the ebbing of some kind of strange power. Maybe it was just the re-emergence of the Crystal Empire messing with her. Or maybe… But she didn't want to think about that possibility. She started to make breakfast to get her mind off of… whatever it was that seemed to be bothering her.

Spike appeared out of nowhere behind Twilight. "Is that… pancakes?" He asked excitedly.

"Why, yes, Spike! Mine are plain and yours have jewels in them! Don't they look good?"

"They look _amazing_! Let's eat!" Spike ravaged through his meal like it was the first meal he'd had in weeks. Twilight did her best to put a dent in the three pancakes she'd made for herself, but she just couldn't find the appetite.

In between bites Spike asked, "Hey… Twi, if you're not gonna eat those… Can I…?" His pleadings eyes were wide with anticipation.

"Of course, Spike, dig in!" Twilight smiled as she watched her baby dragon eat with such gusto.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Twilight answered it and a little red filly was standing before her. "Applebloom! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Applebloom struggled to catch her breath, she ran all the way to Twilight's house. "Ze…Cora… You… Urgent!"

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Are you trying to say that Zecora wants to see me… and it's urgent?"

Applebloom nodded yes as she fell to the floor from exhaustion. _What could Zecora want at this time of day? And urgent… I don't like the sound of that… What if it's… Sombra? Oh no! I've got to get to Everfree Forest right now!_ Twilight thought as she tried to keep herself from having a panic attack.

"Applebloom, why don't you go inside, I think there's still some pancakes left from breakfast. Have some water, too. I'll see you later, Spike!" Twilight said as she grabbed her pack and ran out the door.

She passed Rainbow Dash on the way who was, as always, practicing her stunts for the Wonderbolts. "Hey Twilight! Where ya off to?" She yelled, to which Twilight quickly replied without stopping, "Zecora's! Can't talk now, Rainbow!"

"Ha! Your loss, Twi! I'm working on my best stunt, yet!" The rainbow-colored mare retorted.

Twilight felt a little disappointed, she would have loved to see Rainbow's new trick, but she just couldn't relax until she saw Zecora. She sped on into the creepy forest despite her own fears. The very fate of Equestria could be at stake!


	2. Chapter 2

Zecora was waiting outside her tree hollow. She stamped her feet impatiently. Twilight spoke up, "I tried to get here as fast as I could! What do you need to see me for?"

The zebra looked right into Twilight's eyes, piercing her soul and bringing with it an indescribable aura of seriousness and fear. Zecora began to speak in her usual rhyme, "A spell created years ago will soon bring Equestria's final glow. It shall start and end with Ponyville, and all shall bow to it or it will kill. In the mind of a pony already it sleeps, and it will not be long until every pony it reaps. There is no time to waste, so Twilight Sparke do make haste, and save Ponyville from this evil face." Zecora turned her back to Twilight and went back into her hut, without saying another word.

Twilight's jaw gaped wide open. _What was that just now? A prophecy? What am I supposed to think of that? So mysterious…_ Twilight stood there for a few moments, not quite sure of what to do. As the seconds drew on the realization of the impending doom just described to her washed over Twilight's mind. _There isn't much time! I have to figure this out!_

"I- I just don't know what to do! I always thought that I could handle anything… but this, this is just… I don't know what it is!" Twilight said to herself as she ran back as quickly as she could to Ponyville. She knew that in her current frenzied state, there was no way she could figure out any solution, and she certainly couldn't tell the others about this. She didn't want to cause a panic. She kept it to herself and decided to sleep on it. Maybe in the morning she would have a plan. She hoped.

The next morning, Twilight woke up at around 6 in the morning. She had not had a good night's sleep. How could she? That prophecy rang in her head like a bell. Her mane was a mess and there bags set deep under eyes. Twilight sighed at her reflection in the mirror and gently combed her mane and tail using her unicorn magic. She looked at her eyes. "There's nothing I can do for these bags… ah well, I'm sure nopony will notice..." Twilight noticed something strange out of the corners of her eyes. Her horn. It had sharped to a point and even grown a little. "That's strange… I thought only royal ponies had long, sharp horns… Ah! But I can't worry about this right now! There are more important matters at hand!" She screamed.

Spike jumped out of bed at the sound of Twilight's yelling. "What's wrong, Twilight?"

"Oh Spike! I know it's early, but I need you to get Applejack to come over, please." Twilight heard a weak "yes" from her baby dragon as he reluctantly yawned and stretched and left the library. _At least one of us can relax_.

The orange southern pony immediately arrived after she was sent for. Twilight knew that she could trust Applejack to not only keep a secret, but to also not panic.

"Good mornin', Twi!" Applejack said as she gave Twilight a quick hug. "Ow! Twilight, what? Since when is yer horn that sharp?"

"Oh, sorry about the Applejack. It just happened this morning. But listen, that's not important right now. Zecora told me something yesterday… and I think we might be in danger."

"Well, go on Twi! Ah'm listenin'."

Twilight started to reveal Zecora's mystical and chilling prophecy to Applejack, and Applejack's eyes widened with fear.

"I know… it's vague, but there's no doubt about it. Danger is coming to Ponyville, and if we don't do something to stop it, Equestria itself might be in peril." Twilight concluded.

"Well, Ah think… the first thing we need ta do is warn Princess Celestia! And wasn't there some kinda spell that yer brother used in Canterlot with the Changelin's?"

"You're right! Shining did have a spell that could protect a whole city! If we just use that, then we wouldn't have to worry." Twilight called Spike over and asked him to send a letter immediately to Princess Celestia, informing her of the prophecy and requesting help from Shining Armor ASAP. Spike's green fire consumed the letter and off it went to Celestia's castle. All they could do now was wait.

It was a few hours before Shining Armor finally arrived at Twilight's library. "BBBFF! I'm so relieved to see you!" Twilight exclaimed as she galloped to her brother for a hug. It had only been a week since she last saw her, but Twilight loved the stallion more than anything.

"Alright Twilight, Celestia told me about all of this stuff that's been going on, and she said that your plan was as good as any. I'll teach you the spell, but remember, it will only keep things in or out. If what you're talking about is already _in_ Ponyville, I'm afraid there's not much it will do." Shining Armor said to his little sister.

"I'm aware of that, Shining. But this is the best thing. Even if that evil is already here, at least it will keep it away from the rest of Equestria."

"But… that puts all of Ponyville in danger!"

"We can't evacuate. It's possible that one of the ponies here is the one who has the darkness, and I can't risk letting that pony loose into the world. Trust me, Shining. I need you to back me on this."

Shining Armor nodded, though he was still unsure about all of it. He taught Twilight the spell and then watched her work her magic. Any spell done by Twilight would be more powerful than what Shining could do, and Shining was hopeful that it would be enough. Twilight cast it and a thick black beam shot out of her horn. When it reached the sky, a semi-transparent dome began to form around Ponyville. Shining Armor created magical doors in the border that only approved ponies could leave through and stood guard over them.

Suddenly, there was an uproar. Ponies everywhere were starting to freak out about the black dome that appeared around their home. It was Applejack's turn. The ponies of Ponyville naturally trusted her, as she was the element of honesty. "It's alright, every pony!" She shouted, "No need to be afraid. It's only Twilight's protection spell. Zecora's warned us about a certain danger and this is what we're doin' to stop it! Please, go back to yer lives!" Every pony started to calm down after that, and slowly things returned to normal. Applejack could admit that the black dome was extremely foreboding. And it was unusual, since Twilight's magic spells were usually purple. But what did she know about magic? Applejack looked for Twilight, but Spike told her that Twilight had already gone inside to go to sleep. Applejack smiled. Twilight must have been exhausted from all the worry. Applejack left to go back to her farm.


	3. Chapter 3

The following few days, Twilight Sparkle remained housebound. She refused to leave the library, and even her own bed most of the time. Spike did whatever he could to wake her up and get her out of the house, but Twilight wouldn't. She wouldn't wake until past noon, and sometimes she would even sleep all day long. It wasn't until three days after she formed the dome that she finally got out of bed and went downstairs. She saw her friends anxiously pacing about the library.

Rarity was the first to notice Twilight. "Why, Twilight! You are awake! Oh, we were so worried about you. It was the worst possible thing that could have ever happened!" Rarity began to burst into dramatic tears.

Applejack put a reassuring hoof around Rarity, and then said, "Twi, thank heavens. You've no idea what's been happenin' out there!"

Pinkie Pie interrupted before AJ had a chance to continue, "Twilight! Twilight! Let's go throw a party before the gloom gets to us!"

"Oh, you're alive, huh?" Rainbow Dash commented aloofly, but it was obvious to every pony in the room that she was the one who cared the most out of all of them.

"Twilight, it's really good to… um, have you back." Fluttershy muttered in her timid voice as she smiled.

Twilight closed her eyes again, but she motioned her hoof in a gesture that told the ponies to explain what was happening in Ponyville.

"Oh, it is terrible! Dark clouds have started to form inside the barrier, and a storm is brewing! It is so dark out there, and not even our candles will light! This is the only place where they work. Twilight, every pony is scared, and no pony can help us! Not even Zecora! The barrier won't let anypony through!" Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight opened her eyes abruptly. The whites had been tinged green, and purple smoke billowed around them. Her horn was long and pointed and its tip was re, as if it had been made out hot metal. Her eyes were a piercing red and her mane had become an almost black shade of purple, as well as her tail and fur. A devilish smile formed on her face, and she let out a maniacal laugh.

"Twi, are you alright?" Applejack shouted, "You're scarin' us!"

"Everything is great! It's going exactly as I planned! And if you think _that's_ scary, just you wait until you see what I have planned for this wretched town, and then what I have planned for all of Equestria! Muahahahaha!" Twilight explained to her "friends". She got up and ran for the door. When she got outside she witnessed her glorious chaos. Applebloom ran up to Twilight in a panic, not noticing that something was wrong with her.

"Twilight! Twilight! I thought yer spell was s'posed to keep the evil stuff out!" She cried.

Twilight Sparkle used her magic to levitate the filly in the air and throw against the wall. Applebloom collapsed to the ground, nearly unconscious. Her eyes fluttered in a desperate attempt to stay awake. Twilight smiled down at her, the filly squealed and squirmed.

Twilight looked up at the ponies who had started to gather in the square. "Fools! You thought that my spell was to _protect_ you? Ha! It was always to keep the darkness in, to concentrate it. And now…" Twilight let out a deep, menacing laugh. "Now… _I_ have risen. And there's _nothing_ you _ponies_ can do to stop me now!"

Twilight rose towards the sky as a thick black magic surrounded her body, looking down at the entire town of Ponyville like it was a meal. None of the ponies dared to challenge Twilight, they knew what she was capable of before, who knew what kind of terrible power she could wield now?

Twilight shouted, "Bow to me, Ponyville! _I_ am your princess now!" All of the ponies shuddered in fear, except one. A light blue pony in a cape walked bravely up to Twilight and stood boldly before her.

"Don't worry, every pony! The Great and _Powerful_ Trixie shall defeat this monster! With the Alicorn Amulet, _all_ is possible!" Trixie called, encouraging the ponies. Every pony looked up at the blue pony, with a small spark of hope in their eyes. Trixie took a fighting stance, ready to charge. Twilight chuckled.

"Really? _Trixie_ is your best hope? That is just… pathetic."

"We'll find out who the _real_ most powerful unicorn is!"

Twilight chuckled again. "Oh-ho, I accept your challenge. Just _try_ to hit me, if you're so _Great and Powerful_ , Trixie."

Trixie took a deep breath and then revved up her magic. She sent a series of huge blue lightning strikes at Twilight, but something stopped the strikes right in their paths. Trixie watched in horror as Twilight reversed Trixie's own magic back onto her. Trixie winced in pain, but refused to show just how weakened she really was.

"You fool; my powers far exceed that of your _puny_ amulet. I've had enough of this little game. Begonia!" Twilight sent a streak of black and green lightning right in Trixie's direction. The blue mare did her best to counter it with her own blue lightning, but hers was a mere beam of light in comparison the strength and force of Twilight's magic. The lightning zapped Trixie and sent her flying into the wall of Rarity's boutique and she fainted.

"Now that _that's_ settled, is there any pony else that wants to challenge _me_?" Twilight looked down at Rainbow Dash, but even she trembled in fear. "No ignorant act of bravery? No insults? Why, Dash, are you… scared?"

Rainbow Dash attempted to look up defiantly at Twilight. "I ain't… scared… of nothing! I just… didn't want to look at your ugly face, that's all!" Her adrenaline rushing, she flew up right into Twilight's face and stared into her eyes. "I will never let you get away with this, Twilight. And if it wasn't obvious, you're not my friend anymore. Not _any_ of our friends."

Twilight pretended to look heartbroken. "Oh, whatever will I do without the magic of friendship?" She paused for a few moments, pleading with her eyes to Rainbow Dash. Then her expression changed. "Oh wait, I know." Twilight threw Rainbow Dash to the ground, forcing her through several layers of dirt and rock. She didn't come back up.

Twilight smiled. "Now, then. Bow to me, slaves!" All of the ponies did as she said. "I want you all to do something _very_ special for me. You will destroy this pitiful little town, and replace it with my castle. Bigger than Canterlot, and grander than the Crystal Empire! And for those _less_ complacent mares and colts, allow me." Twilight released a cloud of dust into the air that washed over all of Ponyville. The ponies' eyes went wide as their bodies started to move as if they had minds of their own.

Twilight Sparkle laughed as she beheld her handiwork: all of the ponies were now destroying their precious homes and farms while wailing and moaning. Except… Something was missing. Twilight turned to see a group of fillies and foals huddling behind the school building. She lifted the whole building with her magic and threw it across the field behind, exposing the young ponies. "Muahahahaha!" Twilight exclaimed, "You thought you could hide from _me_? Oh, my dear fillies and _fools_ … Whatever shall I do with _you_ …?"


	4. Chapter 4

The two remaining cutie mark crusaders, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, took a few steps towards Twilight, putting on brave faces. "We're gonna stop you!" Scootaloo screamed.

"Oh my, you are _so_ scary… Oh, I know what to do with you… You won't stop me, because you shall all _help_ me…" Twilight replied with an inquisitive look on her face.

Sweetie Belle attempted to use her magic, but in her fear all she could muster was a few puny sparks. Scootaloo pumped her wings as hard as she could and with the adrenaline flowing through her body she actually managed for once in her life more than a few feet of flight, but just as she was starting to climb to Twilight's position, Twilight let out a loud roar and sent a stream of fluid darkness in the direction of the young ponies. They screamed in pain as their bodies began to change and darken and transform. The mares and colts screamed as they witnessed their siblings and children become morphed into creatures of darkness, but were unable to do anything at all about it.

All of the fillies and foals were now made out of shadow, each with their own set of leathery bat wings and razor sharp horns. Twilight looked them in the eye and said, "Now, my minions, fly to the furthest reaches of Equestria! To Manehatten, Phillydelphia, Canterlot, and beyond! Spread my darkness and my torment! Fly!" The foals and fillies obeyed and zoomed straight through Twilight's barrier of darkness.

During this time, Twilight's friends were shocked to see that they were completely unaffected by the spell. Around their necks had appeared their elements of harmony.

Rainbow Dash said, "We were protected by the elements! This is our chance, while Twilight's distracted-"

Rarity interrupted. "It'd be no use, Rainbow Dash. We need Twilight! Without the sixth element, we're all doomed!" She dove into a chaise lounge that magically appeared.

"Maybe we should send a letter to the princess…" Fluttershy mumbled. She knew nopony would hear her anyway.

All the other ponies continued pacing and Rarity continued sobbing on her chaise.

"We have ta git word to Princess Celestia!" Applejack finally spoke up. "We need to know what that spell was the Celestia taught Twilight, and why it's goin all wonky! But how…"

The five ponies put their heads together, and all at once they remembered Spike.

"How could we forget about Spike?" Pinkie Pie asked. Come to think of it, none of the ponies had seen Spike since the barrier had been put up around Ponyville. They went to the first place they could think of: the library. In the basement they found Spike, shuddering in a small iron cage.

"Spikey Wikey!" Rarity exclaimed, "Oh, you must be so frightened!" Rarity attempted to put her hoof through the bars to comfort Spike.

Spike blushed. "N-not really, Rarity, I'm not scared! I'm just confused… that's all, really. Please, get me out!"

"I'm awful sorry, sugar cube, but there doesn't seem to be a way for us to do that. There isn't a lock er anything. Just this crystal." Applejack explained.

Spike sighed. "Yeah, it requires dark magic, but I guess none of you would be able to do anything like that, and you probably shouldn't. We don't need two crazy ponies out there."

Pinkie Pie spoke up. "Spike, I know you're scared-"

"I'm _not_ scared!" Spike refused to look terrified in front of the most beautiful pony in the world, and his long-time crush, Rarity.

"Okay, I know you're _confused_ , but we really need you to send this letter to the Princess. That big dome thingy can't keep a dragon from sending a letter, right?" Pinkie finished.

"No, I don't think so. Alright, let me have it." Spike took the scroll from Pinkie and lit it up in green flames, hopefully sending it to Princess Celestia.

Moments later, a letter from Celestia returned from Spike's fire breath. Spike started reading it aloud, "It says: My little ponies, I have no idea what you are talking about. I would never teach any of my students a spell like that, not even Twilight. It is far too dangerous, especially for a young unicorn. If Twilight is performing dark magic and claims to have learned it from me, then something is terribly wrong. When the Crystal Empire reappeared, Luna and I were away in Saddle Arabia and did not know about anything regarding that until we came back a few days ago. My only conclusion is this: there must have been an imposter, with a very evil plan. I will send help immediately to you."

When spike had finished, silence befell the six. They looked at each other nervously, and then Fluttershy began to panic saying, "It must have been Sombra! It was him all along! That's why he was so easy to defeat!"

The other ponies nodded. Applejack replied, "Why, Ah think Fluttershy's right girls. And if that's the case… we're all-"

"No!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Don't you dare finish that sentence! Celestia's coming for us! She can stop Twilight! Come on, let's go upstairs and wait for the Princess to get here!"

As the ponies all started up the stairs, except Rarity, who looked back at Spike and saw that he was already starting to shiver in fear again. "On second thought, girls, I think I'll stay here with Spike. Someone's got to keep him company." She always had a soft spot for that baby dragon. Spike smiled and blushed.

The rest of the ponies went upstairs and looked out the windows. To their horror, the scenery was already drastically different. It was darker somehow, but they could see the outlines of already demolished buildings and the spires and towers being built, no doubt becoming a castle for Twilight. They wondered why the library hadn't been touched yet, but hopefully Celestia would come before they would find out why.


	5. Chapter 5

They waited, and waited, and waited, until finally, they saw a figure flew through Ponyville's barrier, no doubt she was able to because of her superior magical talent. She flew straight to the library. Her white coat was singed black and her mane was completely messed up. It had even lost its ethereal luster, and it now appeared as a regular pony's mane.

"Celestia! You-" Applejack started.

"I know, girls. Sorry I took so long, but those shadows attacked Canterlot and I had to do something about it. This barrier is no problem for me and once it is destroyed all of you ponies can flee!" Celestia focused on her spell and shot a beam of bright white light onto the darkness, expelling it entirely.

The four ponies cheered as they watched it crumble and dissolve and reveal an ironically shining sun against a blue sky. Their smiles disappeared as the perfect sky was clouded over with black fog. Thunder clapped and out of nowhere Twilight appeared again.

"And just what do you ponies think you're doing?" Twilight shouted, but then she noticed her old teacher, Celestia. "Oh, _Princess_ " She said, feigning a curtsy, "I hardly recognized you without your white coat and flowing mane. You are weakened with every minute I'm here… You really should've brought Luna with you, she could've withstood my darkness far better."

Celestia grimaced. "I'm still strong enough to defeat you! But this isn't how it has to be-"

"Oh, blah blah, friendship, friendship… Save it, Celestia. I've far surpassed the rank of student, I don't need your silly friendship lessons anymore. I'm going to enjoy this."

Twilight disappeared and reappeared behind Celestia and shot a magic beam at her. Celestia turned around and countered. The two ponies, student and teacher, held their focus for what seemed like forever. But Twilight was right, Celestia's light magic was being weakened by the dark influence Twilight had over the land. With every passing second, Twilight's beam inched closer and closer to Celestia. The Princess put all of the power she had left into one final burst of energy, but Twilight was prepared and shot right back with twice the force. Celestia was pushed back into a tree 50 feet away. Celestia struggled to look up at the ponies one last time. She whispered inaudibly, "I'm sorry… every… pony…" She slumped to the side and was still.

The ponies cowered, but Rainbow Dash quickly discarded her fears and stared at Twilight defiantly. She had had enough of this. She flew to Twilight's level and screamed, "How dare you! That is your Princess, your teacher! She trusted you more than any pony else! Doesn't that mean _anything_ to you?"

"Frankly, no."

"You!-"

"Oh, Rainbow… Always so loyal, but you'll see soon enough, your loyalty will prove to be your very end. But for now," Twilight said as she raised her hoof, "Now, you shall sleep." She waved her hoof over the ponies and a twinkling powder fell over them, causing the ponies to faint one by one. The last thing they head was Twilight's insane laughter.

When the ponies awoke, they found themselves in a dungeon. Applejack checked to see if each of them were alright, and was relieved to find Rarity and Spike were with them, alive.

Applejack saw a familiar white figure lying in the corner. "Celestia! Yer alive!"

"Listen girls, we don't have long. You still have the elements, you must use them!"

"But, Celestia, we don't have our sixth element!" Pinkie Pie said.

"You forget, my little ponies, that I used to wield all the elements myself when I imprisoned Nightmare Moon. I will be your element of magic. Trust me."

"We trust you! Let's do it!" All the ponies agreed.

Twilight walked gracefully down the stairs into the dungeon. "Ah, so you are all awake now. Even Celestia. I really thought you would have been dead now, dear Princess. Hmph. Well, no matter, I shall kill you at dusk… Oh wait, that's all the time! Muahaha! I have created everlasting darkness! Your subjects shall live in fear of my dark night! Ah, Nightmare Moon would proud wouldn't she? And she is… I have seen her. She came to me and told me she had been waiting for this. With her help, I cannot be stopped!" Twilight explained as she inched closer to the ponies.

"You beast!" Celestia spat out.

"Die now, Celestia!" Twilight shouted.

"Now, girls!" Applejack shouted and they drew closer together in formation. Celestia struggled to a standing position. They each channeled as much power as they could and shot a rainbow of light at Twilight. It encompassed her in a thick rainbow wall as Twilight let out a scream. The ponies smiled at each other, brohoofing their victory. And they would have celebrating more, if they had not heard that maniacal laughter once again.

"You imbeciles… Did you honestly think that you could defeat me with rainbows and friendship? Pah! I am far above that nonsensical idea. You have only made me stronger by fueling my hatred. And now I have no need to expend any more energy on killing Celestia, so thank you. Ta-ta!" Then Twilight was gone, leaving the group alone once again.

"Celestia, is it true what she said about Luna?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, Fluttershy. Luna would never betray us, not again. She is noble and loyal. She watches over Canterlot as we speak."

The ponies all looked somewhat relieved.

"Now, girls, I'm afraid I will not be alive for much longer, I can sense it."


	6. Chapter 6

"Celestia… no…" The ponies all cried to themselves.

"Girls, please. I am at the limit of my power. I only have enough for one last spell, and so I must ask you a favor. I will send you to the past one week ago, with a letter from me to my past self, ordering the arrest and death of Twilight from the past. I need you to give it to that Celestia, and when you do, have her teleport you back. Do you understand?"

"But, Celestia! You'll die!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I am going to die, anyway, Rarity."

"We can't kill Twilight! She's our friend!" Rainbow said.

"I know that, Rainbow Dash. But this is the only way. Killing her in the past is our only hope to saving Equestria. Please, here is my letter. You must do this." She handed the scroll to Rainbow Dash and, leaving no time for any of them to argue further, she shot them into the past. Celestia smiled gently with a spark of hope in her eyes, and then she drew her final breath. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she was gone.

The five appeared in past Celestia's courtroom one week in the past. Who knew so much could change in just a few days? Everything seemed peaceful, and full of light. Nopony had any idea of the horrors to come, and the five were envious of this blissful naivety.

"Oh! Girls, you frightened. What do you need? Where's Twilight?" Past Celestia greeted them. The ponies teared up, seeing their Princess still alive.

"Princess, we are here from the future. Celestia of that time sent us here to give you an important message." Rainbow Dash said as she handed the scroll to the Princess.

"The future? Well, let's see it, then. Yes… yes… oh, my. I… I simply can't believe this… But, that is indeed my seal. Must we really destroy Twilight? I cannot imagine she'd do anything like this!"

"Yes, Princess, we are afraid that if we don't she will destroy every pony in a week's time. Even you, Celestia…" Rarity confirmed with a break in her voice.

"Well, I can't say that I'm entirely on board with this plan. But if this is what future Celestia's judgement is, then I must obey… my own wishes… I shall have Twilight summoned immediately. The guards will have her arrested." Celestia's eyes began to tear up, but she remained strong. The ponies looked at each other with forlorn faces, crying as they waited for Twilight to show up.

When Twilight finally arrived, the ponies were hiding. They didn't want Twilight to see them just yet, because their past selves probably were still in Ponyville. They didn't want Twilight to be suspicious of anything.

"You called, Princess?" Twilight said, approaching Celestia. Celestia tried to look as cheerful as possible, despite the whole situation.

"Yes, I need you to do something for me. Do you see that circle over there next to the door? I need you to stand on it."

"Sure, but why?"

"I-It is a magic circle. It will show me your status in progressing to the rank of a high-level unicorn." Celestia lied. Celestia had never lied before and she felt as though she might cave from all of the pressure. If Twilight didn't turn around soon, Celestia might ruin the whole ruse! And with dark magic coursing through her veins, Twilight could easily best even Celestia in a duel.

"Of course, Princess." Twilight trotted over to the Circle, happy to be of service to her teacher. Once she stepped inside, a cage dropped over her. Its bars hummed with magical energy. "Celestia? W-what's happening? Is this a test?"

"No, my dear Twilight Sparkle, this is a cage. You are under arrest for crimes that you will commit in the near future." Celestia said with a grim expression on her face. Her eyes couldn't meet Twilight's. Celestia knew that if she looked at that pony's face, her love for Twilight would overpower the need to destroy her.

"But Celestia! I haven't even done them yet!"

"But you will, and by then it will be too late. I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia nodded to the captain of her Royal Guard and out spewed from the top of the cage a twinkling dust that put Twilight to sleep.

"Ce-les-sti-a…" Those were Twilight's last sounds as she fell asleep. This was the last time she would ever see the Princess.


	7. Chapter 7

Twilight woke up with her head on a guillotine, her body barred with more magic bars, her horn incapacitated by a curse. Twlight's breathing pace quickened. The feeling of impending doom had set in and she began to have a panic attack. Then she looked up and saw her friends before her. "Guys… you… you need to get me out of here! They'll kill me!" Twilight pleaded.

"Not 'they' Twilight, 'we'. _We_ are the ones who asked for your head." Pinkie Pie said, and not even her naturally bouncy voice could make the situation seem any better. Twilight looked at Pinkie, tears welling in her eyes. She closed them and let out a loud cry. She was so confused, she simply didn't understand any of what was happening.

"We're… awful sorry, Twi. But you…" Applejack began, but she started sobbing and she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Twilight, you end up killing every pony. Even the Princess. All of Equestria is doomed if you live. I'm sorry…" Rarity continued.

"Spike, please, tell me this is some kind of joke!" Twilight said, hoping her trusted dragon companion would come to her rescue. He didn't reply, he only looked away from her.

"Twilight, we'll miss you… And you know that we love you. I hope that you can forgive us, we're only doing this because we _have_ to. It was the Princess's final request." Fluttershy said, reaching for the string that would trigger the blade to fall. Rainbow Dash took the string from Fluttershy's mouth, relieving her of the burden. Fluttershy joined the other ponies, who were crying off to the side, looking away from Twilight.

"Girls…" Twilight uttered. Rainbow Dash put on a brave face and tugged on the string, averting her glance until it was over. She looked back and saw for certain that Twilight was dead. They remained in the room and comforted each other as they wept.

"It's all over…" Applejack said.

When they were finished mourning, they returned to Celestia and were sent back to future. What they saw was the opposite of what they had expected.

Everything was much, much worse than how they'd left it. Ponies lay dead in the streets, buildings and trees were on fire, and screams were audible from every corner of the land. Shadowy figures flew around in the skies walked about on the ground, patrolling the land for more victims. Up where Canterlot should have been rose a dark spire that shot above the storm clouds and up into the black sky.

"I thought that by killing Twilight, everything would go back to normal… What… What happened?" Applejack questioned. She soon noticed her mistake for at the sound of conversation, a team of shadows flew down and grabbed them, dragging them straight to the spire. Each one of the ponies was regretting killing Twilight. It had made everything worse, and now they were without their best friend.

When they arrived at the Spire, a familiar black pony with flaming hair was waiting for them. Sombra laughed maniacally, just like evil Twilight had and then he said, "Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite ponies. You know, if it wasn't for all of you, none of this would have been possible."

"What do you mean, Sombra? Was it your plan all along to have us kill Twilight?" Rainbow Dash yelled, her pride diminished and her hatred fed.

"Well of course it was. Oh, and you did so much more. You know that the 'me' that you destroyed at the Crystal Empire wasn't me, but merely my shadow! I needed Twilight to use dark magic so that I could take over her body and regain my strength, so I could reappear once again in my own body, with my full power! Once you killed her, you released me, and I was able to kill Celestia. With those two out of the way, I had no one to oppose my rule!"

"That's not true!" Rainbow Dash screamed. "Princess Luna will stop you!"

"Stop him?" Another pony's laughter came from somewhere in the room. Out of the shadows stepped Princess Luna, dressed now as Nightmare Moon. She joined Sombra at the throne. "We are Sombra's queen! Did you really think that we wanted to be _thy_ friends? Ha! We have always been evil, and we shall always be!"

Sombra laughed with her, the ponies shivered with fear.

"Princess Luna was _always_ Nightmare Moon. She merely put away that evil for the sake of her disguise until I and my Crystal Empire would return. And now, we rule the whole of Equestria! And now you shall share the fate of your friend!"

Spike and the five ponies looked at each other, ashamed of what they had indirectly caused. Now, it really was all over.


End file.
